Adjustable garment hanger



Nov. 13, 1951 A, BE L 2,574,999

ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Filed July 13, 1950 1 Thoma A. Bell INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 13, 1951 UNITED'STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE GARMENT HANGER Thomas A. Bell, Ridgefleld Park, N. J. Application July 13,1950, Serial No. 173,593

1 Claim.

1 l The present invention relates to a garment hanger and refers more particularly to the type of hanger comprising means. for adjusting the effective length of the portions of the hanger engaging the shoulders of the garment.

A disadvantage of such type of hangers has been that their fairly complicated structure has entailed comparatively high manufacturing cost so that the article could not compete economically with the very cheap nonadjustable hanger.

A further disadvantage has been that the slidable construction usually employed to impartadjustability has yielded a wobbly product lacking in convenience of operation.

An object of the present invention is the provision of an adjustable hanger very cheap to manufacture.

Another object is that the hanger shall be made of materials familiar to the manufacturers of the commoner nonadjustable hangers and which can be made with very little change in manufacturing machinery.

Still another object is that the hanger shall have a sure and pleasant feel during operation, particularly during adjustment.

Other objects will appear as the description proceeds.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention the hanger is provided with a central tubular section comprising downwardly sloping shoulder portions and extension members slidably mounted therein. The extension members are constituted by a single length of wire and comprise two parallel legs and a foot extending inwardly from one leg toward the other. The tube is stamped or otherwise constricted at its end to constitute two tubes snugly engaging the two legs, and the foot acts as a stop which when it engages the throat between the two tubes prevents withdrawal of the extension from the main tube. The double telescopic engagement of the legs in the tubes provides pleasantly smooth operation at low cost.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter be pointed out. The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter described. In the accompanying drawing in which is shown one of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention:

Figure 1 is a front view of the hanger, showing an extended position thereof in broken lines.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan view of an extension member.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fi ure 2.

Referring'now in detail to the drawings, the improved hanger 10 comprises the body portion II which is a tube of circular cross section bent to comprise a central portion [2 and downwardly and outwardly sloping shoulder portions l3, M which engage the inner surfaces of the shoulders of the garment.

The support engaging means comprise the hook l5 for engaging a bar or other support, the yoke l6 preferably integral therewith as illustrated. and the loops [1 extending integrally from the yoke I6 and encompassing portion I2 so the yoke and hook are revoluble about the axis of portion l2 and the hook may therefore be folded inwardly for compactness when the hanger I0 is packed into a suitcase.

The extension members [8, [9 are preferably constituted of a single length of metal wire as illustrated in Figure 3, and comprise a comparatively wide loop portion 20, leg portions 2|, 22 extending substantially parallel one with the other, and the foot portion 23 extending laterally inward from leg 22 towards leg 2 I.

The outer ends of shoulder portions l3, I4 are stamped or constricted in any other desired manner so as to form the double tubular portion 24 comprising the substantially cylindrical tubes 25, 26 side by side and integral with the portions I3, I4. The legs 2|, 22 slide snugly in the tubes 25, 26 and the throat 21 between tubes 25, 26 prevents complete withdrawal of the extension members l8. I9 from tubes l3, M by blocking engagement with the foot portions 23.

The snug engagement of tubes 25, 26 around substantially the entire circumference of each of the legs 2 I, 22 keeps the loops 2!] in a plane parallel to the plane drawn through the axes of the tubes 25, 26 and also provides very smooth sliding motion f the members 20 in the shoulder portions [3, I4. Because the portions of extension members l8, l9 within the shoulder portions l3, [4 are totally enclosed, it is impossible to pinch ones fingers while using the hanger, a marked advantage over adjustable hangers now available.

As the body portion l I is formed by merely bending and stamping a cylindrical tube of light metal, such as aluminum, it enjoys the advantage of economy of manufacture over types in which a flat sheet is flanged in order to obtain only partial enclosure of the extension members.

In such case the above mentioned possibility still remains of pinching the finger between the parts of the device which define the limit of sliding motion by coming into abutment.

A cross bar 28 may be provided, comprising the tube 29 stamped down around or otherwise constrictively encompassing the wire loop 30, as at 3 I, loop 30 being wrapped around loop 20. The extension member 32 is a wire slidable in tube 29 and comprising the loop 33 wrapped around the second loop 20.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in Which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to terpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

In a garment hanger, the combination of a tubular shoulder engaging portion and an exten- 25 sion member slidably engaged therein for varying the efiective length thereof, said extension membetween said tubes, one of said legs being slidably located in each of said two tubes'and snugly engaged thereby substantially around the entire circumference of said leg, and said inwardly ex- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date I Baier June 12, 1928 Number 

